abscissa

[ ab-sis-uh ]

/ æbˈsɪs ə /

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noun, plural ab·scis·sas, ab·scis·sae

[ab-sis-ee]. /æbˈsɪs i/. Mathematics.

(in plane Cartesian coordinates) the x-coordinate of a point: its distance from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis.

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Compare ordinate.

Origin of abscissa

1690–1700; feminine of Latin abscissus (past participle of abscindere to abscind)

Words nearby abscissa

Abscam, abscess, abscind, abscise, abscisic acid, abscissa, abscission, abscission layer, abscission zone, abscond, abscondee

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use abscissa in a sentence

The corresponding value of y determines a point P in accordance with the rule that x is the abscissa and y the ordinate of P.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
To any value of x there corresponds a point N on the axis of x, in accordance with the rule that x is the abscissa of N.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
Curves have been prepared having pressure as an abscissa and elasticity as ordinate.
Paint Technology and Tests|Henry A. Gardner
The curve then crosses the abscissa upwards, and the positive curvature reaches a maximum.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose

Abscissa represents duration of exposure and quantity of incident light.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose

British Dictionary definitions for abscissa

abscissa

/ (æbˈsɪsə) /

noun plural -scissas or -scissae (-ˈsɪsiː)

the horizontal or x -coordinate of a point in a two-dimensional system of Cartesian coordinates. It is the distance from the y -axis measured parallel to the x -axisCompare ordinate

Word Origin for abscissa

C17: New Latin, originally linea abscissa a cut-off line

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for abscissa

abscissa

[ ăb-sĭs′ə ]

Plural abscissas abscissae (ăb-sĭs′ē)

The distance of a point from the y-axis on a graph in the Cartesian coordinate system. It is measured parallel to the x-axis. For example, a point having coordinates (2,3) has 2 as its abscissa. Compare ordinate.